“This statement was not liked by the newspaper man.”
Wednesday, 26 June 1974
Kūrma: Śrīla Prabhupāda took his morning walk along the beach road, Beaconsfield Parade. The sky was overcast, and a keen wind was blowing off Port Phillip Bay, but Śrīla Prabhupāda, well rugged up, appeared to be impervious to the cold.
The walk progressed along the promenade until it reached the adjoining suburb, Albert Park. Madhudviṣa pointed out the massive Catholic church complex that Prabhupāda had encouraged them to buy.
The main building, Madhudviṣa explained, was a convent for girls.
From the street, he directed Prabhupāda’s attention to all the other features: the huge chapel, the commercial-sized laundry rooms, the theatre, and the eating quarters.
“This is almost 10 acres of prime, beach-side real estate, Śrīla Prabhupāda.”
Prabhupāda’s interest was again aroused. “How much are they asking?”
“Well over a million dollars, Śrīla Prabhupāda.”
Prabhupāda said nothing, but appeared unfazed by the price. On the way back to the temple, he told Madhudviṣa that he would like to see inside the property.
* * *
A few devotees, eager to learn whether Śrīla Prabhupāda’s arrival press conference or interview had received any publicity, waited outside the local newsagency to purchase all the morning papers.
The previous night’s Herald had already published a frivolously-worded article.
Entitled “Even the Divine get Blueys”—referring to the parking ticket slapped onto the car’s windscreen by a zealous parking officer—the reporters made a point of mentioning their disapproval of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s use of a Rolls Royce.
It was obvious from the superficial news reports that, despite the fact that this was Prabhupāda’s fourth visit to Australia, most press reporters still had no idea of Prabhupāda’s actual position. To the press, Prabhupāda was just another celebrity in a constant parade of faces and events.
The morning’s Age followed in the same vein, with another sarcastic headline: “Divine Grace Comes Rollsing In.” It also displayed the press’ fascination with the trivial:
Sixty young Hare Krishna devotees yesterday welcomed their earthly leader to the city with obeisances—but official Melbourne met him coolly. His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada came out of the airport to find pink parking tickets on the windscreens of his Rolls Royce and two supporting cars.
The devotees were already disgusted with the fault-finding and negative press. But an article on page two of the morning’s Sun topped it off. The reporter who visited the previous night had totally misconstrued Prabhupāda’s warnings about the dangers of sinking down to the animal kingdom.He had come to an amazing conclusion:
“Krishna Sect Founder: ’I’ll return as Animal.’
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is resigned to dying soon, then returning to Earth as an animal …”
Amogha immediately started drafting a letter to the editor, asking that they publish what Prabhupāda had actually said. By the time Prabhupāda returned from his walk, the whole temple was discussing the article.
“What will Prabhupāda think about it?” they wondered.
* * *
The bright morning sun shone through the saffron curtains behind Prabhupāda’s red and orange vyāsāsana. Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving the morning class from the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to a packed temple room.
The business of a saintly person, he explained, was to perform welfare work for the people in general, and the best welfare was to awaken people to their sad-dharma, or real occupational duties.
“At the moment, I may be working as an American, or a European, or an Australian, but this is temporary because the body is temporary. But as soon as this body is finished, I will begin another chapter of duty. Suppose this life I am a human being; next life I may not be a human being.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda paused. Grinning, he looked around the room. “This statement was not liked by the newspaper man.”
The devotees laughed. Obviously Prabhupāda had read the article.
“He was told that next life you can become animal, so he has published in my name, ‘The Swami can become an animal’. The Swami can become an animal. The so-called swamis, they will become animal.” (More laughter).
“So that is not wrong. But we devotees, we are not afraid of becoming animal. Our only ambition is that we become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So the animals, the cows, the calves who are Kṛṣṇa conscious … you have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa? Yes. So, better that we should become animal of Kṛṣṇa.
“So there is nothing wrong. Even if we become an animal of Kṛṣṇa, that is also very worthy. That is not an ordinary thing. Any associate of Kṛṣṇa, either his cowherd boyfriends, or calf or cows, or the Vṛndāvana trees, plants, flowers or water, they are all devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They like to serve Kṛṣṇa in different capacities. So to become an animal of Kṛṣṇa is a great, great fortune …”
The devotees were delighted to hear Śrīla Prabhupāda take positive meaning from the foolish article. But there was more. Simply the printing of the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa, greatly benefited the readers, he explained, regardless of whether the names were mentioned in reverence or disrespect.
“Just like in the newspaper you hear so many news. But if you hear something about Kṛṣṇa, that is the only perfect thing. That news has been published in many morning papers:
"‘Krishna, the leader of the Krishna movement’ or ‘this Hare Krishna movement …’ There is some vibration of the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’.
“That makes the atmosphere purified, surcharged. So many thousands and millions of people will read, ‘Kṛṣṇa’, willingly or unwillingly. That is their profit. Immediately they once utter the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’, they become benefited. Never mind what is the news. We don’t care for that.” [laughter]
“But because they will utter the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’, that is their profit and that is our profit for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So, thank you very much.”
The same theme was brought up in question time. Gopikanta, an enthusiastic, full-time book distributor, asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what was the exact benefit for a person who took the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on the street and gave a donation:
“That is already explained. They will read. They will see the picture of Kṛṣṇa. Immediate profit is that they will ask, ‘What is this picture?’ and you will say, ‘Kṛṣṇa’. ‘Oh’, they say, ‘It is Kṛṣṇa?’
"Then … [laughter] from the beginning of the book, from the cover, the benefit begins, because uttering the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’, is beneficial. Then if they read … of course, if they pay for the book, they will read. So [the benefit is that if you give them] a chance to know about Kṛṣṇa, their life becomes sublime.”
* * *
Later in his room, Prabhupāda spoke more on the topical issue. His spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, in considering whether articles were worthy for publication, would count how many times the word “Kṛṣṇa” or “Caitanya” had been used; if these holy names had been quoted sufficiently, he would say: “That’s all right. This can be used.”
Prabhupāda turned to Cāru. “So, how many times has this man mentioned the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’ in the article?”
Cāru quickly counted. “Seventeen times, Śrīla Prabhupāda.”
“And how many people live in Melbourne?”
“At least a couple of million, Śrīla Prabhupāda.”
Prabhupāda smiled. “So that’s seventeen multiplied by two million times that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa has been chanted.”
—Kūrma
[VedaBase: 22. Biographies and Glorification of Śrīla Prabhupāda / The Great Transcendental Adventurey — Kūrma dāsa]
Comments